


I don't even know if I believe

by Voidfish



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Possession, Thrall - Freeform, angus gets thralled
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 02:50:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13940994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voidfish/pseuds/Voidfish
Summary: Angus McDonald may be the world’s greatest detective, but he is also only a boy.The Director’s staff tries to speak to him sometimes. It’s soft, but constant, a calling he can’t understand. Angus knows enough to stay away, to dismiss the voice.Angus knows that he can’t do this forever.





	I don't even know if I believe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emily_the_Almighty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_the_Almighty/gifts).



> Emily asked me to hurt Angus so I happily obliged!

Angus McDonald may be the world’s greatest detective, but he is also only a boy.

The Director’s staff tries to speak to him sometimes. It’s soft, but constant, a calling he can’t understand. Angus knows enough to stay away, to dismiss the voice. 

Angus knows that he can’t do this forever.

***

He can’t discuss it with the Director. She can’t know that he knows.

Because there are two options: she has no idea there is a thrall to her staff, that her staff whispers in his ear. This option, while ideal, is unlikely - it talks to Angus constantly, and holding the staff in her shaky hands she has to hear its voice.

Which means that the Director knows. That she, potentially, is under its thrall herself.

Angus doesn’t know if she can fight the relic. It’s getting harder to think about, harder to fight against.

He finds that he’s so very tired of fighting.

***

The call leads him to the Director’s chamber late one night.

It’s so very hard to sleep, to rest, with the singing so close. The staff has a gorgeous, haunting melody. It sings of power. Angus tries to tear himself away and finds he’s no longer in control of his body. 

Hands that once belonged to him reach out and grasp the doorknob. 

There’s gotta be some way to fight this, Angus thinks, some way to stop. This is the point of no return. Think, detective, think.

He opens the door. 

Each step is soft. It’s getting very hard to think. The room is filled with shadows, reaching out in the darkness ready to strike. He may be the world’s greatest detective, but he still flinches at the sight. He’s unsafe here. He should leave.

And then he hears singing.

It’s a gorgeous song, a simple tune that calls to him. It promises safety. He’s by the Director’s room before he knows it.

Angus doesn’t remember how he got here, he realizes for a moment before he slides out of his body again. 

What used to be Angus McDonald enters the room and pauses when the music stops.

There’s a woman sleeping in the bed. She looks exhausted, curled against a pillow as if her life depends on it. He should know her. He should be able to think, dammit.

He finds the source of the noise and it is beautiful.

A staff made of well crafted wood, delicately cared for, stands by the bedside table. It greets him softly, like how one addresses an old friend.

The woman asleep wakes up seconds before his hand makes contact with the staff.

“Angus - ” she calls out, quickly grabbing for the stone around her neck and speaking into it rapidly. “Please, Magnus, Taako, Merle, there’s an emergency, come to my chamber immediately -”

The staff thunders to the ground and the stone cracks, pieces flying across the room.

One hits the vessel, hits Angus McDonald, right on the cheek. It draws blood. He does not flinch.

“What do you want,” the woman asks, voice soft and pained.

“To be used,” the staff responds through the mouth of Angus McDonald. 

“I use you,” she responds. “Let him go. He’s just a boy.”

The staff shakes it’s head. “I need to be used. I can give you power and control. You have no use for either.”

“I never wanted this to happen again,” the woman says. “I made sure this never would happen again.”

“Obviously not well enough.”

There’s a crash and then a rough voice. 

***

“Whatcha need us for, Boss Lady - holy shit,” Merle says, skidding to a stop. Magnus and Taako stop behind him, but not before they bump into him.

“What’s up, D’Jango?” Magnus asks, taking a large step towards the boy.

Lucretia barely has time to scream a warning before the staff is tapped against the floor and the fighter goes flying.

“You don’t need to address him,” says the body of Angus McDonald. “I’m afraid Angus isn’t in here anymore.”

Taako’s eyes go wide as they meet The Director’s. “Staff?” he mouths.

She nods.

Taako steps forward, just a bit. “Listen, hon, how about we make a deal? Let go of the boy and you can get yourself a free Magnus,” the elf says, gesturing to where the fighter is laying.

“Are you offering me as sacrifice?” Magnus asks, getting up. “I’m cool with it, just wanna know.”

“You don’t need the twerp,” Merle tries, voice placating, “when there’s a bunch of nice, tasty idiots right here to choose from.”

The staff laughs. “You can’t help me. You don’t want power. But he does.”

Taako frowns. “He’s ten. He probably wants to go to the carnival and get fantasy cotton candy.”

“He wants to fix this broken world,” the staff smiles. “Isn’t that admirable?”

“How much does the five year old know about the broken world,” Merle quips.

The staff cocks its head. “He hasn’t told you? About the horrors that he’s seen?”

“Stop it,” the Director finally interjects. “I’ll use you more, i’ll bring you power, just please. Leave the boy alone.”

“I don’t know, I like this one. He’s very young. Spry.” The staff grins and turns to Merle, Magnus, and Taako. “Look, sirs,” the staff says in Angus’ voice, “I’m the world’s greatest vessel.”

“Cut it out,” Magnus grumbles. He’s shaking. Taako looks worse for wear too. 

The Director steps forward. “Do you know what my plan is?”

“I’m not interested,” the staff replies.

“We take the rest of the relics,” The Director continues, “and we place them in the staff, okay? That’s how I beat this.”

The staff pauses. It turns to the Director. “You need to use me more,” it demands. 

“I will,” she pleads. “I will, just give the staff to me.” She reaches her hand out and after a moment’s hesitation it is handed to her.

“Deal,” the staff says, before Angus’s body lets go and collapses to the floor.

***

Angus McDonald wakes up to four faces crowded around him.

“I’m sorry,” he manages to say, voice hoarse. His whole body aches.

“I’m sorry, Angus,” the Director says. She’s holding the staff, but she’s angled it away from him. Still, the sight of it makes him sick.

“How you feeling, Ango McDango?” Magnus asks.

“Honestly, sir, I feel like shit,” Angus manages to reply. Magnus helps him sit up.

“Let me get him some water,” the Director says.

Taako clears his throat. “And when you get back, you’re going to explain why you have a fucking relic on hand. And why you hit my boy - our boy - the boy, a boy, this boy.”

The Director nods. “I suppose that’s fair,” she says.

Angus McDonald takes a deep breathe of his own and hugs Magnus tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats.

“It’s okay,” Magnus says, rubbing circles in his back. The two start rocking back and forth. “It’s okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is @infernaltwink scream with me?


End file.
